Io SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 134 
through the forest from the end of the paths back of the Colonia 
Central inland for a distance of 5 miles, and to an elevation of about 
700 feet, along the slowly rising ridges leading to a high point in the 
center of the northern end of the island. The mangroves at the 
mouths of the Rio Catival and the Rio San Juan, and the swampy 
woodland bordering them, were productive, as was the low second 
growth (known locally as rastrojo) in areas of abandoned fields. 
The only bird reported that I did not actually see and identify was 
a hawk, an example of which had been killed the week before my 
arrival. The partly decomposed feet, preserved as curiosities, shown 
to me by Capitan Souza, had the tarsi completely feathered. Because 
of their condition I was not able to identify them certainly, but I 
believed at the time that they came from a species of Spizaétus. 
Heavy rain had fallen the night before our arrival, but the weather 
then remained clear and pleasant until January 14. Clouds began 
to gather, and two days later there was a heavy shower before dawn, 
with mist the following morning. On January 25 there came a heavy 
downpour before sunrise, and rains continued at intervals until our 
departure. This, however, did not interfere with our fieldwork. Daily 
Fahrenheit temperatures for the first eight days ranged from 70° 
to 72° at dawn to 82° to 85° at midday, with the trade wind temper- 
ing the heat. With the return of the rains this changed to 74° to 76° 
at dawn, and 84° to 89° at midday, with uncertain breezes and high 
humidity. 
There was constant talk among the convicts of the dangers at- 
tendant on entering the forests because of the great abundance of 
poisonous snakes, a belief that was so prevalent even in Panama that 
a trip to Coiba was discussed as a definitely perilous adventure. It 
was my experience, however, and that of my two assistants, all of us 
accustomed to jungle work, that the snake population appeared to 
be the same as that of similar woodland throughout the Pacific slope 
of the mainland. We practised the usual precautions in working 
through areas suitable for snakes, particularly when hunting at night, 
and actually saw few since they tend to keep hidden, and to move 
aside when they have warning. Laborers engaged in clearing land 
are in a different situation, since the removal of cover destroys the 
usual hiding places, and danger from snakebite is inevitable. Several 
men have died from this cause on the island, one not long after our 
departure. 
My last trip in the field came on February 4, and the day following 
was devoted to packing, in readiness for departure. At 5:00 p.m. as 
this work was finished word came that the crash boat was in sight, 
